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Day: 4 May 2021

General public to be welcomed at Monaco GP

by: Cassandra Tanti
04/05/2021

The Monaco Grand Prix will open its grandstands to 7,500 spectators a day, regardless of their origin. However, there will be restrictions.
The government made the highly anticipated announcement on Tuesday, revealing that the Formula One Grand Prix would be open to the general public, however grandstand capacity will be limited to 40%.
Mandatory PCR tests for racing fans
People entering Monaco from the Alpes-Maritimes and the Var, including cross border workers, will not need to produce a PCR test until they enter the F1 circuit. Anyone from outside of this department will need to present a negative test upon entering the Principality and the racing circuit.
Grandstands will be open but capacity will be limited to 7,500 spectators per day, with normal seat pricing. On Friday 21st May, only the K and T stands will be open to accommodate a maximum of 3,000 people. Tickets for Friday’s races will be free.
Monaco residents and students will not need to produce a negative PCR test to access the F1 grandstands or circuit throughout the GP weekend.
No decision has been made yet regarding parties on terraces and yachts, or the opening of restaurants and bars, however an announcement on this is expected with the next change in health measures on 16th May.
Standing zones and the fan zone are not authorised this year.
Monaco E-Prix
In making the announcement on Tuesday, Minister of State Pierre Dartout said his government was happy with the running of the recent Historic Grand Prix and the same conditions will be applied to this weekend’s E-Prix, in particular a capacity limit of 6,500 people in the stands reserved for residents, employees, students and people staying in a hotel in Monaco. Access is also limited for guests on terraces to one person per square metre, and a maximum of 12 people on yachts. The sale and consumption of alcohol in public is banned.
Prepare to be stopped
The government warns that there will be strict controls by authorities and members of the Automobile Club of Monaco checking for PCR tests.
Monaco’s unprecedented move
Monaco’s decision follows an announcement by the organisers of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix to allow up to 1,000 circuit members to attend the race on Sunday.
There were no spectators allowed at either of the first two European events of the F1 season, in Portugal last weekend and Imola in Italy two weeks before.
Bahrain allowed 4,500 spectators to attend the season-opening race at the end of March, but it was open only to those who had been vaccinated against or recovered from Covid-19.
 
Photo by Reuben Rohard on Unsplash
 
 

Summer flight plan: 66 European cities, 7 international countries

by: Stephanie Horsman
04/05/2021

Nice Côte d’Azur airport has released its summer schedule, showing a slow ramp up of flights in May and an acceleration of domestic and European flights from June. However, international options will remain limited this year.  

The summer schedule released on Monday provides travellers with a gradual increase in choices, albeit it primarily within France and to other European destinations.

May

Starting this month, Nice airport is offering service to 17 destinations in France from seven different airlines, including Air France and EasyJet, to the tune of 229 flights per week. Destinations with the greatest choice are the Corsican cities of Ajaccio and Bastia, which have a total of 27 flights each week, as well as both Paris airports, which currently have 108 flights a week.

Further afield in Europe, 22 airlines are offering service to 28 destinations in 19 countries for a total of 108 flights per week, with the most frequently served destinations being London Heathrow, Amsterdam and Frankfurt.

Long haul destinations in May are limited to Tunisia, Morocco and Turkey and fly 22 times per week, with some places being served only once or twice a week.

June 

Come June, the pace picks up moderately domestically, with the number of weekly flights going up to 298.

But it’s the flights within Europe that sees a marked leap – 19 destinations are added to the schedule, including Budapest, Naples and Stuttgart, bringing the total number of cities to 47 in 25 countries, with weekly frequency almost tripling to 303 flights a week.

International flights will be holding steady in June though, with the same destinations on offer and only six more flights on the weekly roster.

July and August

By the high season, in July and August, flights within France jump to 374 per week while 19 more cities within Europe will be accessible, reaching 66 destinations and more than doubling flights to 623 per week.

International flights to the United States will also resume, with two New York City airports, JFK and Newark, back on the radar as well as flights to Israel, Algeria and the UAE, flying 71 times per week to the various international spots.

“Our provisional flight program for this summer reflects as much the preserved attractiveness of our territory, its economic and cultural dynamism, as the confidence of airlines and passengers in our health policy,” said Franck Goldnadel, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Airports of the Côte d’Azur. “This is why, with our teams and partners, we will make it a point of honour to live up to this trust and our responsibility towards the health of travellers and residents of the Côte d’Azur by strictly applying the measures decided by the authorities.”

In all, access to over 90 destinations in 37 countries will be possible this summer, relieving fears of another “bummer summer”.

 
Photo by Matthew Smith on Unsplash
 
 

Gyms reopen, with strict health rules

by: Stephanie Horsman
04/05/2021

After four months of closure, gyms in Monaco including the Hercule Fitness Centre have reopened their doors to the public with new regulations in place to ensure the safety of all.

After the 30th April announcement by the government allowing the relaxation of certain measures, including the resumption of supervised indoor sport, the Hercule Fitness Club threw open its doors on 3rd May, welcoming the public back with open arms.

The municipal sport centre is now open weekdays and weekends, while group lessons have been resumed, though they will be given outside under the pergola, rain or shine, until further notice.

Bodybuilders can access the weight room with a reservation, but are asked to only use one slot per day to allow all members an opportunity to get their workout in.

There are stringent health protocols in place accompanying all gym reopenings that include compulsory mask wearing indoors including during sports, a requirement to change shoes in the entrance hall, mandatory towels, and reservations for group lessons.

The use of changing rooms and showers is now permitted, though the use of hairdryers and saunas are still prohibited.

The Hercule Fitness Club will be exceptionally closed during the weekends of 8th and 9th May for the E-Grand Prix and again from the 19th to the 23rd of May for Grand Prix weekend.

 
 
Photo of the Hercule Fitness Club by the Mairie de Monaco
 
 
 

Helping businesses to go green

by: Cassandra Tanti
04/05/2021

The government has made it easier for businesses to make the ‘energy transition’ and take advantage of a 70% subsidy that is currently on offer.
The National Green Fund, created in 2016 and supported by the Energy Transition Mission, was given an additional €2.5 million last September to relaunch the local economy with the aim of reducing the carbon or energy footprint of companies.
The objective of this new approach is to support companies as they implement various projects that favour the preservation of the environment, using local suppliers to create a circular economy.
In order to benefit from a 70% subsidy from the government, companies must carry out a report or project with a local partner in one of a range of contexts: in the control of energy costs, excluding building work; waste management, travel or purchases; a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from the products or services offered; the development of renewable energies; or the fight against single-use plastic.
“The health crisis we are going through is an opportunity for each of us to awaken our ecological awareness,” said Director of the Energy Transition Mission Annabelle Jaeger-Seydoux. “For companies, a mobilisation focused on eco-responsibility can offer a real advantage in terms of competitiveness. The recovery plan is a great opportunity to accentuate this shift.”
The new online approach will make it easier for companies to access the initiative, saving time for users and speeding up the request process.
 
 

1st Monaco Power of Positive Impact Summit

by: Cassandra Tanti
04/05/2021

Around a thousand participants from across the world have come together to “imagine the world of tomorrow” at the first ever Monaco Power of Positive Impact Summit.
The 27th April e-summit enabled participants from around the world to share strategies, practical tools, studies and reflections with the same ambition: to meet the biggest challenges of tomorrow’s world, whether social, economic or ecological.
Supported by the Monaco Private Label network and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the Princess Grace Foundation United States, the Monaco Ambassadors Club, the Yacht Club of Monaco and the CREM (Club des Résidents Etrangers de Monaco), the e-conference was moderated by 53 speakers and generated some 12 hours of content and discussions, 23 round tables and interviews, and was followed in nearly 58 countries.
“At a time when the Covid-19 pandemic is shaking certainties and calling into question all our models, Monaco Power of Positive Impact Summit aims to be a new international platform for the exchange of ideas, knowledge, initiatives and experiences favouring environmental protection and economic development, the two having to be combined in the present, and not mutually exclusive,” said the organisers of the summit.
The event brought together a large number of international experts who addressed more than 20 themes including major geopolitical trends, green finance and impact investing, investment in art in the age of Covid, the circular economy, the role of clean tech, cyber security, the requirements of younger generations, female entrepreneurship, energy transition in the world of yachting, and the most disruptive technological innovations. Focuses were made on certain regions of the world, particularly Asia, Israel and Australia.
“Under the aegis of Monaco, a new international community has thus come together to build a greener and more sustainable society for tomorrow,” said the organisers. “The Principality has thus consolidated its role as a country that produces models: a model of life, development, well-being and peace.”
 
Photo source: Pixabay